An active, athletic doctor thought her life was over when heart trouble forced her to give up her practice—but an inspiring new chapter was about to begin.

You’re our last hope,” the marine’s mother told me. “If he can’t do this, I’m afraid he’ll…” Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she feared.

At 23, her son had suffered a spinal injury in combat, leaving the use of his arms and legs extremely limited. She’d brought him here, to the Lakeshore Foundation rehabilitation center in Birmingham, Alabama, in hopes of finding some physical outlet.

Could I teach him to swim? “He’s terrified he’ll drown,” she said.

She introduced me to him. His core body was still strong, but I saw the fear in his eyes. I knew it wasn’t the water he was most afraid of. It was moving on to a different kind of life than he’d imagined.

“You’ll have to trust me,” I said. “Can you do that...read more